Much hoo-ha in the UK today over the fact that the Queen and First Lady Samantha Cameron seemed to be a little too matchy-matchy, thanks to their startling similar choice of dress shade, at the Number 10 lunch held yesterday for current and past PM’s as part of the Jubilee. Personally, however, I think the one-two message actually works in Britian’s favour. Indeed, it has been a good couple of days for women in the public eye, fashionably-speaking.

The general take appears to be this was a mistake for SamCam, since one is NEVER supposed to in any way steal thunder from the Queen – even though details of HM’s dress is never revealed beforehand, so how, exactly, the minefield is to be avoided is unclear. I guess you could do what Sarah Brown did and wear black. As far as I know, it’s a pretty safe bet the Queen, who believes in the power of the bright, will avoid that shade.

Personally, though, I think the one-two message actually works to Britain’s favour, especially in this pre-Olympic period, even if it happened by accident. The two most public women in the country look like…teammates! They look coordinated. Unified. And all those good sporting adjectives. They are on the same sartorial page.

Besides, if you want to get nit-picky, one is wearing a dress (by Jonathan Saunders, btw) and the other a skirt and jacket (presumably by her in-house dressmakers)

In fact, this has been a pretty good few days for women in the public eye in general: Hilary Clinton also eschewed her recent I-don’t-care-hair scrunchies-and-lank-locks looks for a bouncy blow-dry in Israel, followed by a really elegant twist. It’s a whole new hair stage for the Secretary.

So is there something in the water?

Indeed. It’s called Olympic/pre-election fever, in which those on the public stage are hyper-aware of the fact that they represent a country or a candidate, and must look, at all times, the part. Get ready, get set, let the image race begin.

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